The purpose of this proposal is to acquire instrumentation for microsequencing and nucleic acid synthesis to be part of a central protein and nucleic acid facility at the University of Pennsylvania. These instruments will serve to enhance existing facilities now present in several separate laboratories, and will provide the focus for consolidating both physical and intellectual resources into a central location. In this manner, sophisticated technology beyond the realm of the individual investigator to acquire, maintain, or fully utilize can be made available to all biomedical scientists at the university. Many areas of endeavor will be enriched, ranging from the study of molecular structure and function, to the exploration of gene regulation and expression. Indeed, the boundaries defining protein and nucleic acid research are becoming less distinct. An important goal of this project is to provide means for interactions in these areas.